Water-trap for cornets, &amp;c.



PATBNTED OCT- 22, 1907.

J. H. VIOL. WATER TRAP FOR CORNBTS, M.

APPLIOATIOI FILED KAY 13. 1907,

INVENTOR 1LT DHN H. V1 0L.

ATTORNEYS Wa i ms NORRIS PETER: co., vnsumcrnn o c 14%.? /d W M g w %%ESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ll. VIOL, OF DEER LODGE, MONT.

A, ASSIGNOR OI O E-TI'IIRD TO WILLIAM E. WEED, OF .Dlillit .rODttE, MOXTANA, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO WILLIAM DYEIt AND ONE-El IIITII TO WILLIAM SLEEIIAN. OF BUTTE, MONTANA.

WATER-TRAP FOR CORNETS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed May 13,1907. $erial No. 373,310.

useful Improvement in \Yatenlraps for torncts, &e., ot which the l'ollowing is a specilication.

ln brass wind instruments of the trumpet style, it is common to provide at one or more points what is known as a water key. which is to be opened at intervals for blowing out the water which condenses in the horn trout the breath ol the performer. II this is not done this water accumulates in the air passages and valves, producing a gurgling and rattling effect that militates against the smoothnessol' the notes. It frequently happens, however. es 'ita-ially in long solos, that it is not [)l'il 'll('lll)lt to blow out the accumulated water without making an awkward break in the music.

.lll'l'orts have hcretol'ore been made to overcome this diiliculty, and to that end a small water trap has been arranged in the line ot the wind passages, adapted to take up I he accumulated water without interl'ta'ing with the wind passages or al'l'ecting the quality of the notes.

My invention is an improvement in this class of devices and consists in the novel construction and arrangement ot' the trap and in the means Ior discharging the water as will be hereinalter l'ully described with reference to the drawing, in which l igure 'l is a side view of a cornet equipped with three ol my water traps Fig. 2 is an enlarged section through one ol' lhe traps taken longitudinally ol the tubular portion ol the horn to which it is attached. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective ol' the discharge valve and attached parts. Fig. 4 an enlarged cross section of the shank of the valve, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification. Fig. 5 is a cross section of Fig. 5, taken on line 5" F) and Fig. ti is a cross section similar to Fig. 5, but showing a further modilication.

In Fig. I ol the drawing, A is a cornet to which are applied in three places my trap devices, as seen at T, T, T These trap devices are all external to or outside of the horn, being in the nature ol attaclnnents thereto.

The lirst trap T i s placed just beyond the mouthpiece and is preIer-ably somewhat smaller than the others. The other two are placed turther along the wind passage ol the tube and all are attached on the lower side of the wind passage of the instrument when held in the position [or blowing, so that gravity will carry the ater into the traps.

The trap is constructed as shown in Fig. 2, in which a is the tubular portion of the horn forming a part of the wind passage to which the trap is permanently applied. The trap consists oi a hollow spherical chamber from threaded joint. Powell and State of Montana, have invented a new and 3/8 to 6/8 of an inch in diameter madcol'twohemispherical shells b and c detachably connected by a screw The part b has a saddle-shaped reinforce on one side which is brazed to the tube a and has a hole 0 opening through a corresponding hole into the tube a. In the outer half e of the shell is carried a plate in the form of a slotted disk (I, a longitudinally grooved shank rl screwed into the disk and a terminal knob l'orming a handle which hill or together with collar III is outside oi the shell.

Around the shank (Z is wound a spiral spring c which at its lower end bears against the bottom of the shell c and at the top bears against the disk 11. This serves to hold said disk (I close up to the opening 0 into the wind passage of the tube, but does not. close it tightly, owing to the slots in the disk, as seen in Fig. 3. This allows the water as it accumulates in the tube a to pass down through the hole 0 into the trap where it is retained, while the disk (I, approaching the hole as closely as it does, acts as an obstruction to meet and oppose the air vibrations so as to practically contine them to their proper wind passages without l'alsil'ying the note by the increase in volume which the chamber gives. The spring 0 also holds the collar Ht tightly up against thc bottom ol the shell 0 Iornting a valve which is opened by pulling the knob downwardly.

The spherical shell 01' the trap is made large enough to retain all the water which may accumulate in playing any ordinary composition oi music, and for such purpose a diameter oi about one hall inch will be sutlicient and will not alteet the looks or interfere in any degree with the proper working ol the instrument. On the contrary, it lends an ornamental effect to the same.

At; the conclusion ot the rendering of a musical composition on the horn, the water is drained out ol the trap and Ior this purpose it is only necessary to draw out the stem (1 by means ol the knob handle so that the grooves in the said shank pass below the shell and the water will then drain away, or ii desired, the hemispherical shell 0 may be unscrewed. When the valve is held up by the spring, the shoulder or collar 11L is held tightly up against the opening in the bottom ol the shell and retains the water against leaking.

In using my invention, I may inodil'y the means 01' attachment, as seen in Figs. S-and 5, in which a reinforce a is formed on the tube a and the upper hall oi the shell b has a screw threaded nipple turning into the screw thread ol the reinforce. I may also modify the means of attachment, as seen in Fig. (5, in which the upper hemispherical shell is brazed directly on to the tube a without a reinforce.

It will be understood that these traps are in the nature of small storage reservoirs which, while taking up and holding the condensed Water, do not falsify the notes by increasing the effective volume of the Wind passages, as the obstruction plate confines the vibrations to the normal Wind passages. Any number of the traps may be employed and they may be of any desired shape. .By making the shell in two separable sections, the insertion of the obstruction plate is made easy and the attachment may be made to any instrument with no injury to the-same and with but little alteration.

My invention is applicable to all kinds of wind instruments Which are blown, and especially horns of the trumpet type, such as cornets, French horns, altos, tenors, baritones, trombones and basses and my device may be applied to as many places as is rendered desirable by the kind 01' character of the horn.

I claim 1. A reservoir trap for Wind instruments, consisting of a closed chamber having an inlet opening and an obstruction member partly closing communication through said inlet opening and contained within said chamber.

2. A reservoir trap for Wind instruments, consisting of a closed chamber made in two separable parts, one having an inlet opening and the other an outlet opening, an obstruction member partly closing communication through the inlet opening, and a spring seated valve arranged on the outer part ot the chamber.

A reservoir trap for wind instruments, consisting of a closed chamber having an inlet opening on one side thereof and an outlet opening on the other, a valve stem arranged within the chamber and having an obstruction member opposed to the inlet opening to exclude the air vibrations but allow water to pass and an external knob and collar attached to the valve stem and forming an outlet valve.

4. A reservoir trap for wind instruments, consisting of a twopart closed chamber having an inlet opening on one side, an obstruction member arranged opposite said opening and near thereto, a grooved shank connected to the obstruction member and extending through the wall of the chamber and having an external collar and operating handle and a spiral spring wound about said shank and arranged to force the same inwardly.

5. A reservoir trap for Wind instruments, consisting of two hemispherical shells having connecting screw threads and an inlet opening and an obstruction member for the in let opening arranged within the chamber formed by said shells.

0. A reservoir trap for wind instruments, consisting of a hollow chamber having an inlet opening on one side adapted to be connected with the air passages of the wind instrument, and an obstruction member contained within said chamber and formed as a disk-shaped head slotted and placed opposite to the inlet opening.

JOHN H. VIOL.

Witnesses II. II. Mlvr'rasox, R. A. Gmrrrrn. 

